Who do you really want?
by Loveforthestory
Summary: The Mathesons and Monroe's have settled down in Willoughby after the war. The story starts in the local bar,on a night Charlie really could use a drink. Especailly after what Connor told her. It is not long before she notices a black leather jacket in the corner of the bar. It is not long before she notices him. Bass. Will she find the question to that one question? Will he?
1. Chapter 1

_**This start of the story will be a 'right in the middle of all the action' one. The second part of the chapter will fill you in on all the drama. :) It's a new story, a Charloe story, and it starts right after the war against the patriots is over. **_

_**The Mathesons and Monroe's ( Connor did leave with Neville for a short moment, but he did not shoot Bass, in this moment in time, he and Bass have kind off worked their way through it, so he is back in Willoughby as well in this story) have settled down in Willoughby for now. That is where this story starts.**_

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><p><em><strong>Who do you really want?<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>A couple of months after the war, <strong>_

_**Willoughby**_

The local bar was full. The familiar sounds of a busy town bar at the end of the day had already reached her and lifted her mood a little. It was probably written down in her Matheson DNA.

She liked the feel of her small town bar. It was not too small, not too big. The booze was all right, and there were always plenty of friendly faces. And if she was lucky, an uncle who made a good drinking buddy, a good drinking buddy and the one who would pay for all the drinking she definitely would be doing.

Charlie had decided she could use a drink, or even better, a whole bottle, a_gain the Matheson DNA. _More importantly, she could use some distraction. A lot of it. She had not seen, or wanted to see, her mother. Not after what Connor had told her.

_Stop, don't think about it. Don't. Just don't._

Charlie was not sure anymore how many times she had told herself this. She was getting pretty damn tired of telling herself the same thing over and over again, but it was the only way to keep make her mind wander to a place where she really did _not_ want to go. So it was back to her previous strategy, which was very simple: lots of drinks.

When she walked in, she scanned the bar quickly. She heard the sounds of her boots hitting the wooden floor beneath her. No uncle in sight.

There was however a former best friend of her uncle sitting in a corner not far from her_. Dark blonde curls, black leather jacket. She did not know where on earth he had found that one. But it defitnately worked. It worked for him. _She immediately felt her body react, before she felt the wave of disgust hit her. His back was towards her. He was sitting at a table with some other officers, enjoying their evening with booze, stories and loud laughter rumbling through the air, mixing together with the other voices and sounds.

Charlie walked over to the bar, and ordered her first drink. She threw her jacket on the bar stool to her right.

_To hell with him._

She was here to have some fun. And that fun appeared on her left side, in the form of a pretty good looking guy she had briefly met on another night. He was all over her, maybe in a little too obvious way, but hey, she could not say she did not like the attention. It had been too long, and his warm smile and pretty funny jokes won her over.

When it was way past midnight, she was laughing at him because of something silly he said that became very funny, very fast, probably from all off the booze they had ordered.

He could walk her home, but she was not sure if there would be more. But he had made her laugh, and had given her a nice evening, and that was what she needed.

After she had grabbed her jacket, he put his arm over her shoulder. Charlie felt the rush of the many drinks she had conquered going to her head and through her body. She was almost out of the door with goodlooking when his eyes crashed into hers. _His._

Deep blue eyes meeting hers.

_Bass._

He was holding a drink in one hand, elbow on the table in front of him while he watched her with an intensity that almost threw her off balance. When he placed the drink to his lips, she cursed herself because her eyes seemed to live their own life and they could not stay away from where the glass met his lips.

_Why the hell could she never not look at his lips? _

But then she remembered Connor's words again. She tilted her head back just a little, feeling how her eyes filled with coldness. She felt the tension going through her body and she saw the slightest of changes in Bass his gaze as a reaction to the change in hers.

She swallowed hurt away, which was quickly filling her throat. She heard how good looking whispered something in her ear, but the room had seemed to exist only of him and her.

_Bass._

_S_he reminded herself again he could go to hell. Reminded herself of that very important fact, before she tore her gaze away from his and was out of the door in no time.

She could feel his eyes burn their way into her back.

_**3 days earlier**_

Charlie was seething with silent rage. She was sitting on the porch steps of the small town house where she had been able to rent a small apartment. It was not that much, but it was small, and more importantly, she did not have to share the four walls with her mom. As far as she was concerned, it was freaking perfect.

A night with her mother had pushed her towards her inner boiling point within a new time record. The evening had started out like a fairly ok on.

Miles had already consumed some, probably more than _some, _whiskey when she had walked into the front door of the small home her uncle and her mother had been sharing, and he was in a pretty talkative mood that particular evening. As far as Miles was concerend, Whiskey would be dinner. That was an encouraging sign, because that could mean some good stories she always enjoyed.

They had made it to the small kitchen table, when her mother had, again, started the topic of why she had wanted her own space. The _soothing suitable for a 4 year old _- tone in her mother's voice had already set Charlie on edge.

She could have been happy for her. She could have. But instead, again, it was all about her. Like it always seemed to be. Every now and then Charlie felt like they made some progress, but somehow, things were on edge the moment she had seen her mother again after the long years she had left her, her father and baby brother, on a dusty road in the woods. It felt like a lifetime ago, and yet, the memory was so clear, so close.

Maybe some wounds were to deep to heal again.

Miles had tried to intervene, had told Rachel to let her be, but the tension in the air around the dinner table had been hard to miss.

It had not been different than some many converstations with her mother she had to go through when they were still fighting the patriots, exhausting her. It felt like the moment Charlie had brought Bass back to this town, things had only taken a turn for the worst.

So now, it was a bottle in her hands, feet playing with the dirt under her booths, her blonde curls over one shoulder, the last sunlight of the day brushing her skin. She was not sure if this night could get any more perfect then it already was.

Apparently it could.

A young man, dark curls, dark eyes, started to walk towards her. Hands in his pocket, his body language telling her exactly where he would try to take this evening. As far as she was concerned, she went there once, and that had been enough.

Well, the truth was that that one time had not been enough. Simply because her craving was not met. And there was nothing more this man could do to fulfil that craving. Simply because, well, he was not _him. Shit_, she told herself. _Don't go there. Never go there._

'_Connor, what can I do for you?' _

She did not meet his eyes, mocking and a slight irritation in her voice. Judging his walk, she knew he was drunk. Not hammered, but drunk enough. She decided if she spent as little words on him as possible, he would take his ass home, like real soon.

'_Charlie,'_ his tone low, cocky, and when Charlie looked up, she met his grin, ' _Can I join you?'_

She sighed, and she nodded at the empty space to her right. She could say no, but hey, you don't hit puppies . As much as she tried, she could never bring herself to push Connor away completely. Again, you don't hit puppies.

'_So, you look rather pissed tonight, what's the story?' _She wondered how his voice could sound so like another Monroe.

Charlie gave herself one last warning to not go there.

She gave Connor her best questioning stare, and raised one eyebrow at him. She took another gulp from the bottle in front of her hands and let the drink warm her throat.

'_Let me guess then, mother troubles?'_

He once had called her _a whack job blonde_, when he had just met Rachel, and well, let's just say, he had not been wrong, as far as he was concerned.

Charlie let out a deep sigh. She knew Connor could be a cocky and a little too full of himself jerk, but he had his kind side. And she could use somebody to rant against about her mother this particular night.

She nodded.

'_It's just, she is so completely convinced about her being right all the time. It has never been easy for us. I know I am not exactly a picture perfect daughter. But maybe for once, she could really try to see things from my side.' _

Charlie paused for a moment.

Connor watched her face. Since the day he had walked into the whole _Monroe-Matheson_ dynamics he had picked up on the tension between Rachel and Charlie. He had heard how Rachel time after time, did not give her a chance. How she had placed herself between his dad and Miles, her little claws in Miles.

'_She can be one hypocritical lady, I'll give you that.'_ Connor knew he might be crossing a line here, but the booze, combined with seeing Charlie like this, made him looser then he had ever been with Charlie.

'_I am not going to argue with that.' _Charlie looked at him, before she turned her eyes towards a spot in the distance. Her voice a little hoarse.

Looking back, that was the point where Connor wished he had stopped.

'_I mean, the way she is acting around my dad like he is the damn bad guy over and over again, even after she..' _

He felt Charlie tense up beside him at his last words.

He cursed at himself. He was not sure what he had been doing. He knew they would never be what they had been in Vegas, he knew that. But there was something about this girl, that made him want to stick with her when he saw she was in trouble. But the last thing he had wanted to do was hurt her, take on his own frustration about the _blonde bitch_ on her.

Charlie looked at him, her blue eyes staring at him, making him uncomfortable under her glare.

'_After she what, Connor?'_

'_Forget it, Charlie, it's...'_

'_If you are going to say it's nothing I am going to kick your ass all over town Connor,' _her tone was on edge, he knew she was not kidding.

Charlie put the bottle down next to her in a not so subtle way. Connor had heard her voice, he knew her stubbornness. They had already reached the point of no return. And maybe, she deserved the truth.

'_She... your mom, and my dad,appareantly they shared some kind of night in Philly.'_

Connor watched her from the corner of his eyes. He could see the sheer horror and surprise in her eyes.

Then he could see her face fill with anger. Anger or hurt, he was not sure. He saw she was trying to hide her hurt, but it took her too long for him not to notice.

'_What the hell are you talking about Connor?' _There was disbelieve in her voice when she had thrown those words in his face.

Charlie felt like somebody punched her in the stomach, mid fight. Her heartbeat was in her ears, she felt a rush of adrenaline in her veins, she was nauseas and she felt slightly numb for a couple of seconds.

'_How do you know this?'_ She could not sit down anymore, and jumped up from her place on the wooden porch step, placed herself right in front of him, while she looked him straight in the eyes.

She crossed her arms before her chest.

'_I walked right into one of their screaming hate matches. They thought they were alone. I walked right into the middle of it, I did not hear everything, but it was all too damn obvious.'_

Charlie let the impact of his words reach her.

'_When was this?' _ It was out of her mouth before she even realised she had asked Connor. Somewhere her mind had decided the answer to that question mattered and had formed the question all on it's own.

Charlie forced herself to keep on breathing. _Seriously?_ After everything her mother had been throwing in her face? How stupid and dense she had been for bringing Monroe back. For being in her face when she had fought that day in the re education camp along with Bass and her men. For every time his hate for this man had been the number one topic of the day.

So, there had been a night. She should be surprised. But somehow, it all added up in a way she did not understand yet.

'_Connor, when was this?' _She repeated her words, but this time with more force, she was almost screaming.

'_The first day Miles was missing.'_

His answer was simple. The storm of emotions that broke lose inside of her was not. It knocked the air right out of her lunges. Her mind scanned back to that day. That had been the day with Neville. _Neville._ Monroe insisting they had to split up. Her mother had never even protested.

So, right after her mother had been worried about her well being, after one of her darkest days she had ever lived throug, _Austin,_ her mother had gone ended up in some screaming match when Miles was...

Charlie felt how she was breaking down, and she forced herself to keep a straight face.

_How could her mother..._

_How could Bass, Monroe, Bass do this..._

_to her?_

What, where did that thought came from?

_Had she been wrong about everything?_

_Had she?_

She was not the one who broke down in front of anybody, she was not somebody who allowed herself to break down period. But this time, she was dangerously close. Connor had to go. Or she had to go. It was as simple as that.

'_I'll think this is goodnight for us Connor,'_

'_Charlie, I am...' _

He could see her clear blue eyes fade more and more with every second she stood in front of him. He hated to leave her like this, wishing he had kept his mouth shut.

'_Fine, if you don't go. I will.' _Her tone was flat.

She took the bottle of booze from the step and walked inside the house, closing the door behind her, without even looking back. She couldn't. Because if she did, Connor would see the impact of his words.

From the moment his father had raged on and on after he had found him with Charlie in Vegas, Connor had known on some level.

He had know that his father cared more for Charlie then he would ever admit. Looking out for her only because she was Miles niece and they had needed Miles to stay on their good side? _Bullshit._

He had watched them, he had observed them, over and over again. Charlie and his dad. Challenging each other, being in each other's face, looks and gazes that made him wonder when his father would throw her against a wall and get it over with. Never denying anything when Gould _and_ Duncan had implied they had been together in vegas. Her father's eyes on her when she would walk through camp. Her words full of loathing, his words crude. But somehow, there was more beneath that surface.

But now he also knew, and knew for sure, that his father had not been the only one with feelings he had never or would ever admit. He did not know why, but her reaction..it had said enough.

Connor stared at Charlie's front door for a moment before he dragged himself home.

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><p><em><strong>This was the first chapter everybody, lot's of drama as you can see! But that's how and where this one starts, and like I told you at the beginning...it will be Charloe! :) In the next chapter, we willl get more from Bass his point of view. And plenty of Bass and Charlie interacting! Thanks for reading everyone!<strong>_


	2. Chapter 2 Mini Miles

_**Hey everyone, thank you so very much for all your nice reviews, I am so happy you liked the start of this new story! It made me want to write more, very fast. So today, on this rainy autumn day back here, I had a lot of time for writing. Here is chapter two! This chapter starts at the same evening, where the last chapter started. In a bar, with Charlie at the bar and Bass at a table with the guys.**_

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><p><em><strong>Mini Miles<strong>_

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><p>Bass was enjoying his evening with the boys. Well, with <em>almost<em> all the boys. When Miles had walked into his office earlier this day, telling him he would pass on this round, Bass knew enough. Both him and Miles knew exactly why he was cancelling the chance to get hammered and have some fun while they were doing just that.

_Bitch girlfriend from hell _still kept Miles on a tight leash. It was rather pathetic to see.

But being brothers meant he had his brothers back, through hell and back. If Rachel thought he was going anywhere, she was wrong.

One bottle had quickly turned in a lot of bottles, cards and tall talking. He could not say he did not enjoy it. It reminded him of days in the very distant past, when there had been friends, and evenings just like this.

After the war, they had returned to Willoughby. From all the god damn places to be, he had ended up in this small town with his kid and the Matheson's. He had ended up with one Matheson in particular and he could not say he did not enjoy that either. And that one Matheson _did _show up in the bar this evening.

Bass did not even know she had walked in, until he saw her sitting at the bar. The bar was crowded, but between everybody else, his mind seemed to focus on just her. Her back was towards him, long blonde waves falling over her shoulders.

_Deep blue tank, tight jeans, accentuating every damn curve. _

One of the men at the table made a sharp remark if he needed some more damn time, so they all could proceed with their game. He charmed his way out of it with a wide grin and a smart ass answer back, before he turned his attention back on his game.

_Charlotte Matheson. _Of all the people who could have tracked him down, _he made a mental note to ask her someday how the hell she did that by the way,_ to put him out of his misery, it had to be her.

It had to be this infuriation, stubborn, force of a woman. A woman, that had been able to provoke a physical reaction from him the first time he had met her in Philly. Clear blue eyes, a body that moved like a cat in fluid motions, one dam set of killer instincts and never, never fucking afraid of him. Always in his face, always in his very personal space.

She had been a memory from another life. She had been Ben and Rachel's kid. She had been Miles' niece. She had been brave and strong when she stood up for her brother, he had not been able to tear his gaze away from her.

She had been the one that walked her gorgeous ass, hips swaying, _fuck_ he had enjoyed many hours on the road looking at her flowing hips, over to Vegas to kill him.

And after Vegas, after the first time she stood co close to him he had felt her warm breath on his face, her lips within touching range, she had become the one woman he had not been able to get out of his mind.

She had only just tolerated him on their way back to Willoughby.

And then she had saved his life, after he had saved hers. When those fucking rangers had rolled him into town, caged like an animal, he had seen her. Standing at the side of the road, _purple tank top, intense blue eyes. _ When her eyes had met his, only for seconds, he had not seen what he had expected to see. Instead, her sheer look, telling him about hundred different things, had made it too hard to look at her anymore.

They had never talked about it, but hell, he knew, right there and then, that things had changed again between them. Somehow Charlie went from wanting him dead, to the one person who had asked her bitch mom to save his.

Charlie became somebody he respected more by the day, became somebody he could fight with, somebody he actually started to enjoy being around with.

And somebody who kept showing up more and more in very persistent thoughts. Out of nowhere he would think about her lush lips, about the curves of her breasts under his hands. She could walk through camp, or walk before him, crossbow strapped to her back. Flashes about her smooth skin, slender body, fierce eyes and firm ass made him hard with only one look at her.

No matter how infuriating she could be, no matter how very much the fuck it was wrong to think about her this way, Miles niece, hell, she was MILES NIECE, he fucking wished he could push her against a tree, a wall, the side of a wagon, crash his lips on her, feel her body under his and give into lust and want. The only thing left to do was find some release, when he would come with her on his mind, spilling himself over his own hand on rare occasions he found himself alone with his thoughts.

And somehow, they had both found themselves back at Willoughby again. Many months had passed, the war was over.

It was the first day on the new job, and he was arguing with Miles about who would get the bigger office, when she had walked in.

She had put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow while she stood in the doorway.

She had looked at Miles, and then put her eyes on him, taking her time to scan his whole damn body. Had she any idea what kind of torture that was to a certain part of his body that was already grinding uncomfortably against the fabric of his pants_? _He had seen one hell of a smile forming around her lips until it lit up her whole face.

'_So, I just had to walk in here to see for myself if the rumours are true. Blanchard gave you two the keys of this town?' _A mocking disbelieve in her voice.

Bass had watched Miles, a grin forming on his face.

'_Well, sure looks like it kid.'_ Miles answered her, nodding at the office around him _. _

'_Well, it is good that I am around then, to make sure you idiots don't screw up. That way there is at least some adult supervision.' _

Miles shook his head at his niece, a smile on his face when he talked to her again.

'_Now we just have to figure out who gets which office, because this moron over here, thinks it is up to him.' _This time Miles nodded at Bass.

She tilted her head back, and laughed.

'_This just confirms something I knew for a long time now. What are you guys? Like twelve years old?' _

And then her eyes found his again, and she smiled at him. Charlie Matheson fucking smiled at _him. _It was a warm smile, a smile that reached her clear eyes and went straight to his gut. _Holy hell._

Miles had invited her to join them for drinks later that day, she had surprised him with her answer. And when she had shared a bottle and a couple of hours with both Miles and him, he saw a side of Charlie that was brand new. She was sharp, fast and good company.

He had considered her as a friend , _although he still thought about doing things to her that were not things that friends were supposed to do, things that involved a very naked, beautiful Charlie that would moan his name in his ear, out of breath, pinned under him_, by now, and somehow he knew, or hoped, that feeling was mutual.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard her laugh again, but this time not in his thoughts, and he turned his head towards her. Turned his head and felt how his jaws locked in response at the sight of Charlie at the bar, some fucking asshole to her left.

He knew she was not drunk, this girl could hold her liquor just like her _uncle slash dad slash uncle_ , but she was getting there. Charlie was not the girl who would let her drinking get out of control, even if she was within the safety of the town walls.

There was something in her behaviour that was different tonight. If he thought about it, he had hardly seen anything of her the past couple of days. Something was off.

It pissed him off to no end to see this asshole making a fucking loser attempt to impress Charlie. The idea of another man touching her, pissed him of even more. He could not take his eyes away from her, especially when he saw how Charlie looked at him. How she quickly touched his arm.

When she got up from her bar stool, asshole dared to put his arm around her. Bass decided to put his hand around his drink to prevent himself from putting his hand around asshole's throat.

When she finally turned his way, she looked at him, for the very first time that evening. Normally she would have walked over at least once, to throw something smart ass in his face, or to make him pay for her drink, which he always did with some protesting growl. He actually liked the fact she would let him pay for her drinks, but of course he never told her that.

_Hell,_ for the very first time in so many months, he looked into eyes he had not seen in forever. He was not sure if it was hurt, loathing or anger. Or maybe, it was all of it. But whatever it was, it was aimed at him.

And when she brought her attention back to the guy that was, _damn it_, don't think about that, apparently going home with her, and walked away from him it hit him. Something was definitely off. He just could not understand what the hell had happened.

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><p>After she had tore herself away from Bass intense gaze, she had let what's his name, walk her home. She know where this evening could take her, but she was not interested. She thought one random night would help block the things about she wanted to forget but it had not worked. She had left a very disappointed guy outside her front door, but she didn't care.<p>

Charlie tried to fight the nauseating images that seemed to surface the moment had Connor spoken about Bass and her mother and the fact that they had been _sharing some kind of night together._

_When?_

_How?_

_How could she have missed this?_

She tried, she tried so very hard but lost that fight. Her mind had decided to give her some very graphic visual images who accompanied Connor's words.

So, on the day Miles was missing, her mom and Bas had taken the liberty to go for another verbal hate smack down. On the day Miles had been missing, on the day Neville found her. Neville found her not long after Bass had suggested they would all split up. She had felt like there had been a shadow somewhere hidden around her in the landscape and when she had heard Neville's voice she was not even surprised. He had made it crystal clear he would not stop until he would find his son

She had brought him to one of their former safe houses. The image of Jason's cold and motionless body on the harsh floor somewhere in Austin when she had to walk Neville all the way there. She lead him there , instead of their current camp to make sure Neville would not hurt anyone less than her, and had to listen to his threats to finish each and every one around her, starting with Monroe, until he had killed his way to the truth.

And at that moment, the idea of losing them all, including Bass, had been a heart stopping moment. Austin, Jason, Neville's gun shoved in her face, it had all chanced her. For good.

But knowing, her mom and Bass had been going for another round of _who hates who the most_, at that exact moment, filled her with rage. Filled her with disbelieve.

At that point, she had reached some kind of understanding with Bass, she had been able to fight alongside him, she was starting to accept the idea that he might have been a different man then she thought he would be.

She knew splitting up gave Miles a better chance, but she had NOT split up to gave her mom and Bass more time for whatever happened there. The possibilities of what could have happened there, filled her with more nausea all of a sudden. Connor never told her what he walked into. And why the hell was he there in the first place?

She could not even begin to think about how much bitter disappointment and anger she felt for her mother. All her actions towards Bass, all her hate for this man, but somehow she had ended up in his bed?

Her head was spinning so much, she did not even know what to feel first. So her _please do the right thing mother _and her _how could you be so stupid and dense to bring him back mother_ had shared a night with _him_.

_Why? Did Miles know? What did Connor walk into on that day? Why the hell did he never told her? And why the hell did she feel hurt? Why the hell did it feel like this knowledge changed everything? Why the hell did she care about something from the past when it came to Bass? Why did it hurt her like he... Why did this matter so much? Why was this not only about her mom? Why was this suddenly about Bass and maybe, even more about him? _

Exhausted, Charlie let herself crash on her couch. She did not even bother to walk to her bedroom or get out of her clothes before she was pulled into chaotic dreams and a long night of tossing and turning. Chaotic dreams, but without answers.

_**Two weeks later**_

Charlie was looking at her glass, and decided she needed a refill. Sam, the guy who owned the bar, put another bottle next to her at her request.

'_Thanks,' _ and she grinned at him.

'_Not that I am complaining Charlie, you being a very good costumer and all, but the past weeks you have been drinking like it is water you have in your glass.'_ He pointed at the glass before her.

Sam was an old friend of the Porter family, and he had watched Charlie the past couple of weeks. He liked the girl, and always kept an eye on her, even if she didn't want one.

'_I am fine Sam, stop worrying. I'm a Matheson._' She nodded at the glass before her. _'I'm born to drink. A lot.'_

Joey shook his head at the girl, before he turned his attention towards another customer.

Bass had found a place at a small table in the corner of the bar. He had almost decided to call it a night. Charlie had not even seen him, or maybe she had and decided he was still invisible to her. He watched her.

Once he had called her a _Mini Miles_. And man, the way she was drinking herself into a state of sheer dark misery tonight, and on many other nights these past weeks, it reminded him too fucking much of Miles.

He hated to see her like this. He was beyond frustrated that he could not figure out what the hell had happened. Something inside of him wanted to shake her out of it, and get to the fucking bottom of this.

When another guy approached her, his eyes shamelessly fixed on her ass, he felt that frustration pulsing through every muscle.

And when he saw a miserably drunk_, because damn it, she was drunk_, Charlie, turn towards this guy, the frustration exploded_. Hell no_. He was not going to sit here and watch this again. He got up from his chair and crashed down his drink to the table.

Charlie felt the lightheaded buzz and the welcoming way the alcohol was numbing her body. She was deciding if the guy who was flirting with her, she did not even bother to remember his name because he was, well, too damn boring, had really greenish dark eyes, or darkish green eyes when she felt how a strong hand wrapped itself around her arm in a very determined way.

When she turned her head she looked directly in Bass' eyes. He was towering above her, and his face was filled with harsh lines.

'_I'm taking you home.' _His tone was low and deep, determined.

'_What do you think you're doing, Monroe?' _She snapped at him, completely surprised where he came from, she did not even hear him approaching her.

She had made it her day job once to hear Monroe coming, to be on edge. Well, simply because when you tried to kill Sebastian Monroe and failed, you better knew where he was in case he wanted, revenge. But that was then. He completely surprised her this time.

'_I was just about you the same question, Charlotte.' _His words were not rough, but also not friendly. She almost drowned in his look.

'_Look pall, I think you should get away from her, now.' _The guy on her left spoke, but not without a lot of conviction. Bass did not even flinch or look at him when he spoke.

'_You get the fuck out of here and away from her. Now.' _He barked at him, his words spoken in a deep growl. It was his general tone, the one that said _I am not asking_.

Charlie tried to get away from Bass his grip, but her system full of alcohol already made that impossible. It was already hard to keep her balance, let alone fight Bass. She tried to shove him away from her but his grip was too damn strong.

'_Put whatever she had on my tab, Sam,'_ Bass nodded at the man behind the bar_. 'I 'll make sure she gets home.'_

Charlie wanted to protest to Sam because he was not protesting, but Bass had already got her on her feet, like she weighed nothing.

Fresh air was hitting her face.

She yanked herself free from his hold and started to walk, forcing herself to keep in a straight line.

'_So, what, you are actually walking me home?' _She threw the words in his face.

'_I sure am, Charlotte.' _His voice was calm again, and it drove Charlie into anger overdrive.

'_Why?'_

Bass stopped and looked at her, she lost her balance for a moment and he caught her before she could actually fall.

'_That's why.'_ His voice was way too close to her ear.

'_Go to hell Bass.' _This time there was anger in her words, anger she was hardly able to contain anymore.

Bass felt irritation building up inside of him. He shook his head, his lips pressed to a thin line. What the hell had gotten in to her?

Bass was still walking beside her, but kept some more distance, and they closed the rest of the distance to her apartment in silence.

Bass shook his head and sighed through his teeth in frustration at Charlie's last words. He did not let of his determination to find out why Charlie was acting like Miles did on his most miserable days. _Damn_, he could not even remember how many times he had dragged his brother's drunken ass back home.

And now he was doing the same for Charlotte. _Yeah_, he had not been wrong when he had called her a Mini Miles.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading! We will leave Charlie and Bass at this point, and will pick up on the story in next chapter :) Until the next chapter...Love from Love<strong>_

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